Birthdays Suck
by KellethMetheus
Summary: There are very few universal truths for Rodney and this is one of them.


**Author's Note**: This story came from StargateDrabbles Screen Cap challenge. My cap was Rodney being attacked by a Wraith looking very terrified. For those who know about my website(google my penname) I just posted a new story. It will be posted her as well but not for two or three weeks.

Leave a review and make me smile. It really does. :0)

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Rodney Mckay hated birthdays, he always had for as long as he could remember. They never went right, from his third birthday when his cake burnt down the house, to his fifth natal day when no one had showed up for his party except his cousin Frankie, the nose picker, and his sister. Then when Rodney had gone to the bathroom, Frankie had eaten half of the birthday cake in retaliation for his mother putting him on a diet of less than five hundred calories.

Rodney had cried all night and declared that he would never have another party... until age ten when his mother insisted he try again. After all they had moved away from Fort McMurry and now lived in Vancouver, Rodney was attending a private school where more of the children were like him or so the brochure said.

Hesitantly, Rodney had agreed and the invitations were sent and to Rodney's surprise everyone said they were coming. His mother made calls the night before to confirm everyone's attendance. Shortly after one o'clock on his birthday the doorbell rang and rang until his twenty classmates were crowded into their family room drinking cherry coke.

The most popular girl in school, Bernadette something or other, had suggested they play seven minutes in heaven. She sauntered over and declared that Rodney should go first; he was the birthday boy after all. With the help of the other giggling girls Rodney was tucked away in the closet where he waited and waited until Jeanie had reached into the closet to get her coat. Rodney had stumbled out of the closet to find his cake and all the presents missing, including the ones from his parents.

That moment Rodney decided that social interaction and friendship was overrated and just wasted time. Rivalries were much more useful and motivating. Any time his mother brought up the subject of birthday parties, he left the room, it was easier than trying to debate the woman. She was just too emotional and not logical enough to see his point of view.

But no matter how hard he tried to forget, every year his birthday, April 18, arrived like clockwork and as usual it was shaping up perfectly.

He'd rolled out of bed an hour late and then he stubbed his toe on the way to the shower. He cut himself shaving with his electric razor, and that was just five minutes after he woke up. It made sense. After all his birthdays were infinitely worse when he turned a prime number. This year was thirty-seven.

By the time he finally made it to the canteen, breakfast was over and they were getting ready to serve lemon chicken for lunch. Then to cap off the day, he and the rest of his team were stumbling around this damp, dank rainforest looking for Major Lorne and his team. The dumb fly-boy had gotten himself lost somehow.

"Look sharp, everyone, we're all uncomfortable in this heat and want to get home. After all I'm sure we all have plans for tonight since we're off duty for three days." John Sheppard looked at the rest of the team.

Teyla nodded. "I have and I am very excited about it. I plan to go and visit with my people on the mainland. It has been a while since I have spent time with them." She and John exchanged looks but neither of them said anything more.

They all moved single file as they walked along the narrow animal path. There was a rustle from the bushes off to the left. All guns turned in that direction. No one made a sound as they waited. Then suddenly a large Wraith jumped out at Rodney from the opposite direction and pinned him to a tree. Rodney stared into its eyes as the creature lifted its hand to suck away his life.

The hand drew closer and closer and all Rodney could think about was that it was his birthday and he really didn't want to die today of all days, not that he wanted to die anytime soon but especially not today.

His hand fumbled for his gun but he couldn't control his dexterity well enough to reach it. He could hear John shouting orders to the others as they scrambled around. The Wraith's hand touched his skin and he could feel his life draining away...

He closed his eyes and accepted death.

The Wraith's body bucked as the bullets slammed into it and the contact was lost. Falling to his knees, Rodney drew a sharp breath and continued to suck in air, unable to believe he was alive. Still trying to force down his panic, he patted down his body with his hand, unable to believe that he was unharmed. Even after finding no blood or holes, he couldn't believe it and reaching down to his arm he pinched himself hard to make sure this was really real.

"I'm alive!" he finally gasped as he looked around at the others.

John crossed to his side while Teyla and Ford kept watch for another Wraith.

"You all right there, buddy?"

Swallowing, Rodney nodded as he drew out his canteen, drinking until he'd drained it. "I can keep moving."

"Good, then let's go. We still have to find Lorne and his team. Teyla you take the rear. Everyone, eyes open because there are obviously Wraith wandering about."

They moved on with Rodney in the middle as he stumbled over the uneven ground still in a bit of a daze.

In the distance there was the sound of gunfire and everyone snapped to attention. Without waiting to see if he team was with him, Sheppard shot off in the direction of the sounds.

As the sound drew near he stopped, lifting his arm. Rodney stopped just short of running into his team leader. The team stood still, waiting for instructions. It was all over in a few seconds. John and the other burst into the clearing with their guns blazing. Lorne and his men had been pinned down by three Wraith and their stunner fire.

They patched up the wounded before heading back through the gate in less than an hour's time.

Rodney stopped on the other side of the gate, swaying with weariness. He really didn't think a birthday could be this bad.

Lifting his hand, he waved to the others. "I'm off to bed. See you tomorrow; I can't wait for this day to be over."

He only managed three steps when John called, "Rodney, want to come to the commissary? They held dinner for us. I bet you're starving."

"I-," Rodney looked up the stairs longingly before turning to the others. "Sure, I can do that." Rodney fell in behind the others.

They walked into the commissary but the room was dark. Rodney stopped and looked around for the others but no one was there. His eyebrow quirked, wondering what was going on?

Suddenly all the light came on and everyone yelled, "Surprise!" or "Happy Birthday"

Rodney almost fell over in a dead faint. No one had ever done anything like this for him. Throwing himself into the party, he began to enjoy himself, but he decided that he still hated birthdays, but Atlantis was all right, it seemed that he might have found a place to belong.

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If you would like to read more of this story go to my website there are two more chapters posted there. Just Google my penname. You can also follow me on facebook (you want my page not my profile I created that and have no idea how to get rid of it, I never use it) to get updates other than here. (When I post a new story I post it there two-three weeks before I post here.) There used to be a link on my profile but it seems to have disappeared. This site won't let you post outside links in the story that's why the address isn't here.

Thank you for reading and I hope you come back again. **:0)**

**Also I have now published my second work of original fiction on kindle. It's a novella called Red Colony: Odyssey. If you search for my real name, Kelli Bullock on amazon you'll find it and my first novella.**


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